Cardiac Ablation - side effects

Help! My mom had cardiac ablation on Monday - was told it was a text book procedure - everything went well. Her blood pressure has been good and her hart rate has been in the 70s no spikes in heart rate since procedure. However, after 6 hours of resting in the hospital - she started to get burning pain in her chest and back. Pain so severe she was given vicodin and three shots of morphine. Today, is Wednesday - The pain is gone but she seems like she is on her death bed. She was released from the hospital this morning but she has no appetite- can't get her to eat much - and she is beyond fatiqued. I am extremely frustrated. Any thoughts???

I have had two ablations, the first one in Jan '08 the second one in March '08. After the one in Jan I was VERY VERY tired. For about the first two days I didn't care about doing anything except sleeping. I would wake up, go out in the livingroom for a bit, and then turn right around and go back to bed for a nice long nap. My husband was getting pretty worried that I was abnormally tired, but by the third day I was feeling much better, not at all as tired. I don't know for sure what it was that made me so tired, but it didn't happen after the second one.. If you're really concerned you could give her doc a call, but from my experience it sounds like how I felt. Her body may just need time to rest and heal. BTW, I'm a 28 y/o female.

I had cardiac ablation performed on Christmas Eve 2008. I immediately began experiencing severe burning, cramping, and numbness in my right leg. The doctor was informed of the problems and ordered an ultrasound of the right groin (one of the entry sites). Nothing was found, and I was immediately discharged. On December 29th, 2008, I was rushed to the nearest ER because of excruciating pain in my right leg. I was told that I had a pseudo-annyurism at the insertion site and was sent (via ambulance) back to the original hospital that performed the ablation. Of course, they could not find any problems when I got there. Keep in mind that even Morphine (8 units) did not even begin to touch the pain. I stayed in the hospital for a grand total of 5 days and was finally given a diagnosis of lumbar plexitis. Now this could have happened during insertion of the catheters or while a 250lb man beared down with all his might on the right insertion site! Either way, prior to the ablation, I could walk, run, whatever. After the ablation, I spent a few weeks on a walker and so completely overmedicated that I could not even stay awake long enough to bathe, eat, or get up off the couch. My husband still has pick up my right leg for me to get into the bed at night. Not once did the EP or the hospital say anything about or provide written material concerning nerve damage severe enough that I still cannot walk across my living room without crying. There has to be something that can be done to get me back to playing soccer with my kids and being able to work (did I mention that I lost my job because of this) and fulfilling all the duties of a loving wife and mother.
My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your mother.

Hi my name is Aaron im 32 and i sufferd from WPW. i have had 3 Ablations with the 3rd being succsefull, however after nearly 9 months from my last one in oct 08, i am starting to get ectopic beats on a regular basis and for those of you who have had these will understand my concerns as they do not feel nice. im very active and play a wide spectrum of sports and with a very active job as a PT Instructor in the forces all sorts go through my head, ive been told between my 1st and 2nd Ablation that ectopic Beats on their own are harmless but surley if this was the case everyone would have them?? What do i do as i feel if i go to the cardioligist again that i will get told the same and have wasted their time.???

In response to your mother's case. I'm 40 years old and just had the ablasia surgery for SVT July 1, 09. I was extreamely tired afterward. When I came home from the hospital I would be awake for 2 hours and sleep for 2 hours and then I slept the whole night too! It's getting better day by day. I actually came back to work on July 6 but ended up taking an extra day off because I was still so tired. I was not put into a real deep sleep and from what I remember my heart was racing and then going the normal beats like turning up and down the volume on a radio. It's like your heart is running a marathon even though your body is lying still. So there has to be some kind of toll taken on your body after this. I did have something happen after the surgery that concerned me. My tops of my thighs developed large discolored gray areas about a week after the surgery. They didn't look like a bruise but just a discoloration like bad blood circulation. But I was checked for clots with an ultra sound and I don't have any. I am still having small attacks with my heart that last about 5 seconds but nothing like I was having before. I was told that I have a rare 2 electrical pathways on my heart when your only supposed to have one. I hope your mom gets feeling better real soon!!
Lisa

i had a cardiac ablation several years ago. Last year, I had several minor heart attacks and had to have 5 stents inserted in a branch off of my LAD. Less than a year later, I've had to have 3 more stents put in that same branch. My doctor says that the branch appeared shredded. Anyone know whether a cardiac ablation can cause this? I am not sure whether my doctor will tell me that the other doctor that did the cardiac ablation caused this or not. Just curious if anyone knows.

Morphine is very powerful to some people. I had high dose recently and it took 5 days
to stop falling asleep at all hours. Morphine also destroys appetite in many people.
After my bypass surgery, I never thought I'd eat again. I was on just fluid for three days.
Then I came off morphine and just took tramadol, whammo, I was eating like a horse.

Had heart ablation about 6 weeks ago, on table for 12 hours. No real issues with heart rate,which is good, However, when got out of surgery my right hand, which had no IV was terribly swollen and first three fingers had little motion. As time has gone by, swelling down, but thumb and first 2 fingers ache and tingle all the time. Very sensative to hot and cold and limited gripping. Also, found a 3" X 3" spot (square shaped) that looks red like a burn in my back just right of backbone and just below shoulder blade. Further, the top of my right foot tingles and aches like my hand. Hand MRI done on my hand and said was OK. This all developed right after surgery.

These seem so unrelated, but have to look at when they started, and was when I awoke from surgery. Doctor, does not share my concern, but it doesn't make sense. And ..... my hand HURTS !!!!!!!!!

Hi I'm 16 and i suffer from SVT. I've had 2 ablations now, and I'm going for my third. side effects from my operation are being extremely tired. Waking up from the operation means all you wanna do is sleep. i know this may sound gross but when needing to get up from your bed and go to the bathroom, you can't even walk. browsing becomes appear 3 days after, n you're groin and arm, they seems to go away after 3-4 weeks. after each operation i felt fine for 3 months, then each time my heart would play up again. i do have a small scar the size of a pin whole on my left arm, but it's hardly noticeable. Other than this i wonder if the third time is lucky.

Im 20 years old and i had a very low heart rate as low as 29 beats per minute and 40 PVCS a minute! i also had shortness of breathe, lightheaded, passing out! i rushed to the ER and they Kept me there for 8 days finally went to a Electrophysiology and it saved my life!! i had an ablation a week ago and i was in there for 8 hours and there were some problems during the surgery. i stayed in ccu for two days and was released. I couldnt get out of bed for a week. i have a heart monitor and heart medicine too prevent the PVCS from coming back i still feel the symptoms i was having but they decrease so much i feel like a different person! i hope it stays this way!
My prayers are with you!

I had 2 ablations in my heart 3 weeks apart. 6 weeks ago. I was told that I had several electrical pathways needing correction as they could only become worse causing heart attack, stroke .........I was told lets fix it while it is not too bad and you are still fit and healthy. However, I now have a permanent pacemaker as the second ablation caused complete heart block. I am told that there is no reason for this as all precautions were taken and my AV node was not touched or damaged. My heart was also torn by the temperary pace maker placed there when my heart stopped durng the second ablation. This caused an emergency operation to mend my heart, therefore my Sternum was cut through in order to reach the heart and the wall of my heart needed patching. I am now devastated. I can only pray for a miracle to restore the electricity to my heart.

I have just had my ablation done on 1/7/10 , my palputation went up to 292 highest even i was lying on the bed getting ready to sleep. The process run well and i was being discharged the day after the ablation . But things started to happen 2 weeks after the discharged , my right hand and right leg and also back head started to feel numbness , besides , my lower shoulder and backbone also felt pain . I have called up to the doctor and I was being told that this is not being caused by the ablation , is that true ??? Other then that , my F1 heart beat came back in rourtine , with a tremendous fast beat lasting for 20-30 second ( But it only happened once after the ablation ) , is that normal ??? or does that mean the ablation process is not successful ???

I was also being adviced to go through the whole SVT diagnostic process again , event tracker has to be applied again , is that neccessery ??
For those who has done a few time on the ablation , can you kindly give some advice .
Appreciated with thanks !!!!

I had ablation in feb. 2010. i was fine for about 3 mos. and 5 days after i visited my doctor i ended up in the hospital for a 2nd ablation. i am always tired and my hart is irregular every now and then. i am 45 and am very depressed. i am a used car manager and need togo to auctions and work long hours. i have not worked since my first ablation. i am scared and sad but realize other people have untreatable conditions and should be greatful i have chance tobe better. it is hard i feel bad for all of you guys and hope all is well for all of you....

I had an ablation for incessant PSVT in June 2010. It's been four months. I still have PACs, tachycardia and episodes of PSVT. They are not as bad as before the ablation but still happening.

For the first 2 months after I couldn't do a thing. My heart would get stressed out, pound and get tachy from moving on the couch. I had trouble just breathing. Felt like I was suffocating laying still. It was torture. I could barely go to the bathroom w/o passing out. (I was not like this before the ablation.) I was so miserable I thought I was going to die and I was okay with that.

Everyone is different when it comes to ablations. The side effects are dependent on where the ablation was done, how many burns were made, what condition your heart was in before, your age, etc.

The only definitive thing I can say: ablations are not a walk in the park. You will have symptoms, some of them very unpleasant for MONTHS afterwards.

I was suggested an ablation, I am 48. I decided not to do it. To me, any time you deal with your heart you are at risk. Doctors do not know everything so when I read your replies I believe you. Good site is heartracing.com explains risks and benefits in detail. If I were yal I would get a second opinion, find a good doctor who listens. Don't let ANY doctor intimidate you!!! I have worked with doctors for years and they are only human. There are okay doctors, greedy doctors and great doctors, keep looking even if you have to drive further. I have driven a 300 mile distant for some specialists and it is worth it. I understand why you did the ablation, I live with SVT. I want the surgery but am too unsure right now. I feel for all of you who have problems with this. You are all in my prayers because you deserve it.

Had my 3rd ablation done June 23rd 2011. It was a success, i had a difficult pathway behind the heart. My question is i still have chest discomfort and a few PVC'S. Dr. said not to worry because the ablation in very invasive and i will have side effects for the next 3 months sometimes up to a year.

I had ablation surgery last December for A-fib. Procedure took about 8 hours and by March I was off all my heart meds. I feel great except that when I do anything the least bit strenuous, I get so out of breath. Have been trying to hike with my husband and he has to stop several times and wait for me to catch my breath when we're climbing. But apart from that I've had no issues whatsoever and am thrilled with the results as I could not tolerate the meds they had me on before. I'm so sorry to hear about these serious issues some of you are dealing with. If you're looking at a repeat procedure, I'd advise you to find a different doctor.

TO: abwilli78
Wow, I have been searching on here for two days, and I finally found someone else having the same issue. My eleven year old just had his cardiac ablation last friday, they couldn't make it happen, so unfortunatly it didn't work. BUT, they also made and error and told us they (1) the wrong size cathader in, and (2) he accidentaly entered the artery instead of the vein. So.. for the rest of the day his right foot was ice cold, they could only get a pulse using a dopler. he was in alot of pain both from the site, and his foot, teh whole time we were in the hospital, yet they release him anyway, saying they were sure it would be fine.. that as long as there was some blood flow it would be ok. Well...3 days later, he is still in a ton of pain, foot has better color and all, but he can bearly walk on it and he gets shooting pains, He has also complained of it being cold and feeling like it is wet.
I am so scared this could be something worse. I am going to call in tomorrow, but I have a feeling tehy are going to tell me the same thing again...It is so frustrating!!! I am curious about how you are doing and if you found any relief. Thanks, Crystal

I am so sad to hear of all the problems from the ablations that some of you have. I have had SVT since I was 8 yrs old. I am now 55. I have learned to just live with it even though the doctor I went to wanted me to do the ablation. He is the expert for this in my town but I know there are risks and I feel he's trying to make money off of me. My sister also has SVT and wants to have the ablation even thought she's only had it 3 times.(same doctor) I went to a doctor presentation on palpatations and this doctor said that ablation should only be done if SVT interupts you daily life and medicine doesn't work because once the electrical part is burned off, it can't be replaced. Then it may have to be done again with more being burned off. I feel I have made the right decision to hold off esp after reading this blog. God help all of you heal.

I had SVT attacks and had successful Cardiac Ablation in 2007. The cause of PSVT is normally an extra AV node and with ablation the Electrophysiologist does some Mapping, find the abnormal area and ablate or destroy it!

There are risks of failure or errors that can slip in, just make sure that you get it done by an Electrophysiologist and not a normal Cardiologist. The Electro-doc specializes in the electrical pathways of the heart and the normal Cardio can do "plumbing and valves".

It's good to have read your positive post regarding your ablation results. I had 3 so far and am going to do my 4th soon. Each one is due to different arrhythmia different areas. I am really afraid of the apparent side effects that one might face post ablation esp. when one gets on with age. I am 60 and have had 3 ablations in a space of 12 yrs and an ICD for 8 yrs.
Wonder if you could give any advice or suggestion as to how I should face this next challenge....I am at a dilemma.

You will get a sedative and will sleep through the procedure and when you wake up you will remember nothing of the procedure. The procedure can take up to 5 hours, but it will feel like seconds to you. Minimal pain and a bit of pressure in groin area (both sides) and you will not be able to sit up or walk for upto 6 hours. You will stay for the night and be discharged in the morning. If you take bloodthinners, you will need more observation post-op. At your age I would suspect that you might have high bloodpressure and they will have to make sure that your vitals are normal before discharging you. The groin area is normally a bit bruised but not very painful. After about 7 days later you will not even know you had the procedure done.

There are risks with this procedure that they can burn of your normal electrical pathway and then you'll need a pacemaker. Some people also develop Pericarditis post-op, but that is not as bad as it sounds as the treatment for that is Asprin and it normally goes away after about 24hrs.

I can remember waking up with this perfect, soft heart beat and never had SVT attacks again. Definitely worth it!

Thank you for your help. Really appreciate your spending time replying. I am very new to this community, just joined and am really looking for some answers and also people like-minded and 'soul mates' so to speak, sharing with me their problems.
I need to consider another ablation soon by this month perhaps as my arrhythmia is getting more frequent. This will be my 4th ablation and I am worried about the post ablation risks. I have an implanted ICD due to history of VT and a chain of ops that I don't know where to begin...In any case, thank you again for your assistance to allay my fears. I am taking a few more days to write down my concerns before I see my EP again with questions that I will ask before I take the plunge to do the ablation. It is for a rare problem, Junctional ectopic tachycardia. Any other thing that you might want to add is welcome. Many thanks.

I have WPW since birth and I am 51 years old. I played every sport and never let WPW hold me back. My episodes would just occur randomly at anytime without warning. Whenever I had a bad episode-random irregular arrythmia, I was useless, just laid in bed for hours or days. I had the cardiac ablation procedure done in 1997 at Long Island Jewish Hospital and was in the OR for about 6 hours. Even though I was given anesthsia I could feel the burning in my heart during the procedure. My initial side affects were drowsiness and some discomfort in my groin area. The doctor said that becasue I was very active helped me recover fast. Anyway I was almost 100% cured of WPW for over 15 years. I would have an occasional flutter but I could ride my bike for 3hrs, play basketball for over 3 hours and not have any episodes. The procedure did change my life for those 15 years. Fast forward to 2012 I have stepped up my exorcise routine and workout for an hour twice a day. I have started having arrythmia attacks again, mostly shot bursts - seconds in nature. A few have lasted over 30 minutes and those are the ones that concern me. These current episodes are different that what I had prior to abalation. My pre-abalation episodes were debilitaiting and very irregular - fast, slow, slow, fast, and lasted for long durations. So I am going back to the cardioligists and find out what has changed. I will keep you'll posted. But please do your homework and try and find the best dr. even if you have to travel out of state.
Kev

I had the cryotherapy catheter ablation on JUne 20, 2012. I have had numerous things to occur since the procedure...woke up with the worse headache ever, blurred vision daily which lasted about 8 days, that is better now I have this pressue behid the sternum and pain all the way around me...up into my jaws. I went to the ER this morning as I really thought I was going to die,,,all the cardiac stuff was normal, but something is wrong, they seem to think it esophageal, could be but it hurts so bad. I am 53 and have to work...anyone experience this....help please I don't know what to do.

My mom had heart ablation about a month ago. The doctor found 3 spots in her heart that needed treatment. Two on the right side and one on the left side. The doctor was able to repair the right side, but the equipment broke down before he could do the left side. Once the equipment was repaired her blood pressure was very low, so they had to stop the procedure. Now she is worse then she was before the ablation. She has a heavy pressure in her chest and she is exhusted. Moving from one room to the other is a chore and she is dizzy all the time. Has anyone experienced this?

I just had my second ablation for long runs of Bigemy and trigemny ect.. I was kept over night after being sedated for to long. It was supposed to be a 4 hour procedure ended up being 6 almost 7. I was in the PACU when my O2 started to drop and had to get oxygen. I dont remember any of it I was still sedated and out of it.

I went home and 2 days later was readmited with chest pressure and SOB with dizziness.. They checked for a PE and a clot nothing. Then checked to make sure I didnt have any fluid build up in my heart and lungs. Only finding was high blood pressure for unknown reason my O2 would drop from 100 to 94 when walking and elevated heart enzymes. I was dischaged after 24 hours and told it was normal after an ablation to feel like this.

I was going though my discharge paperwork and it says I had NSTEMI secondary to Catheter ablation.. I looked this up because I had never heard of it and it says its Non ST Elevated Myocardial Infaction.. A heart attack.. How could they not tell me this..

I had an ablation procedure done on 31 October 2012 about a week later I had a flu injection soon after that I have had crucial pain going around by body travelling from my right lrg up into my arm and neck and then down the other leg and hands, I have not been able to sleep for several weeks now becaus of the pain have been up to A & E twice had an ambulane out once because the pain was unbearable had morphin injection did not touch it and four weeks later I am still suffering and not being able to carry out my every day duties. Doctors dont know what the pain is and I am on Co-Codramol for the pain I am now waiting to see a Rhumatalogist which is going to take up to 8 weeks. Doctors say it is nothing to do with the op I had but I never suffered with Arthritis before. Has any body else suffered in the same way.

You will get a sedative and will sleep through the procedure and when you wake up you will remember nothing of the procedure. The procedure can take up to 5 hours, but it will feel like seconds to you. Minimal pain and a bit of pressure in groin area (both sides) and you will not be able to sit up or walk for upto 6 hours. You will stay for the night and be discharged in the morning. If you take bloodthinners, you will need more observation post-op. At your age I would suspect that you might have high bloodpressure and they will have to make sure that your vitals are normal before discharging you. The groin area is normally a bit bruised but not very painful. After about 7 days later you will not even know you had the procedure done.

There are risks with this procedure that they can burn of your normal electrical pathway and then you'll need a pacemaker. Some people also develop Pericarditis post-op, but that is not as bad as it sounds as the treatment for that is Asprin and it normally goes away after about 24hrs.

I can remember waking up with this perfect, soft heart beat and never had SVT attacks again. Definitely worth it!

I don't know where you had your ablation but mine was done in Cleveland Ohio and I was sedated but awake and could watch everything. I was in surgery for 7 hours and could have run up to 10. I had SVT and was admitted to ER for a heart rate over 200 where they restarted my heart. My SVT happening when driving was causing me to get dizzy where I felt I would almost pass out. Figured it was time to get it done before I killed myself or someone else. So...it all depends how bad your heart is and where you are having it done.

You will get a sedative and will sleep through the procedure and when you wake up you will remember nothing of the procedure. The procedure can take up to 5 hours, but it will feel like seconds to you. Minimal pain and a bit of pressure in groin area (both sides) and you will not be able to sit up or walk for upto 6 hours. You will stay for the night and be discharged in the morning. If you take bloodthinners, you will need more observation post-op. At your age I would suspect that you might have high bloodpressure and they will have to make sure that your vitals are normal before discharging you. The groin area is normally a bit bruised but not very painful. After about 7 days later you will not even know you had the procedure done.

There are risks with this procedure that they can burn of your normal electrical pathway and then you'll need a pacemaker. Some people also develop Pericarditis post-op, but that is not as bad as it sounds as the treatment for that is Asprin and it normally goes away after about 24hrs.

I can remember waking up with this perfect, soft heart beat and never had SVT attacks again. Definitely worth it!

I don't know where you had your ablation but mine was done in Cleveland Ohio and I was sedated but awake and could watch everything. I was in surgery for 7 hours and could have run up to 10. I had SVT and was admitted to ER for a heart rate over 200 where they restarted my heart. My SVT happening when driving was causing me to get dizzy where I felt I would almost pass out. Figured it was time to get it done before I killed myself or someone else. So...it all depends how bad your heart is and where you are having it done.

I had my ablation yesterday and I was totally awake for the whole thing. I did not receive any sedative at all. The only thing I got was the numbing of the groin area before the catheters were put in. I had mine done at the VA Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI and the EP was a University of Michigan doctor. It was not a pleasant experience to say the least. I have had 2 heart caths done prior to this ablation and I would rather have another heart cath than another ablation. They brought on my SVT very easily which was not so bad since they never got my heart rate as high as I have had before during an episode. I felt the burning every time they ablated an area. The longer they ablated a certain area the longer the burning feeling. The worst part was when they gave me the adrenaline. They told me that I would feel like I just drank two pots of coffee to which I replied that I don't drink coffee, so they basically said that I would get the shakes and boy did I ever. While I was having the shakes they tried to bring on my SVT again and it was the worst feeling I have ever had. At one point it felt like I was being choked so I had to move my head back to try and make this feeling go away. Very unpleasant experience. The EP said that the ablation was a success at that I would not have to stay overnight. My procedure started around 7:30am and by 2:30pm I was on my way home. Today I do not have any pain in the groin area but I am tired and I do have chest pain and just kind of felt like crap all day. My heart seems to flutter (I have had this before I had the ablation) but no fast heart rates. I hope this was a success but only time will tell. I should mention that I was also diagnosed during my 1st heart cath in July 2013 with having Myocardial Bridging of the LAD. My 2nd heart cath in December 2013 was to make sure the bridge was not symptomatic because I was constantly having chest pain. It was not symptomatic which was good but I still have the chest pain. I will have to try and find out why I constantly have this chest pain. I have tried anti inflammatory meds because some doctors think it is chest wall or muscle related but they don't work at all. I hopefully will be feeling better in a few days after this latest procedure.

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